Fever dreams
by DustyBooks
Summary: Thomas, Minho and Newt are looking for Frypan and Teresa, whom they have lost in bad weather. In the meantime Newt, who is starting to feel feverish and ill, gets worse every day. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Minho's POV.

The ceiling is damaged and has fallen down halfway, letting the moonlight shine inside. It gives me a sense of security, being able to see what is around me, especially _who_ is around me. For some reason I hate the dark, I get the feeling I'm suffocating, as though I'm too deep under water and can't reach the surface. Therefore I am more than a little thankful for the silver beams that light up the place. Our shadows dance across the walls as we shuffle across the house. All is silent, apart from what I hope is our own breathing and the sound of our feet stepping through shards of broken glass. The furniture in the dining room is severely damaged, and if you were to look closely, you would see deep lines where fingernails have once scratched through wood frantically. Nobody has spoken a word since we entered the house, we wouldn't want to alert whatever is creeping around here. I hear the faint noise of a rat scurrying across the room, and hold still. It was a rat, a Crank can't possibly be this quiet. We are alone, there is nobody else in this room with us.  
"I can see you..."  
As fast as I can manage I spin around, only to find there's nothing behind me. For as far as I can see, which is not far at all, there's no body attached to the voice I just heard. It's just my imagination running wild. I shake my head and turn back to Thomas and Newt. We should set up camp, maker shelter in here.  
"I can smell you..."  
My breath hitches in my throat. That was closer than before, I can feel a movement in the air as something moves past me. This is no fragment of my imagination, I feel that this thing is staring at me and I know that it is very real. Thomas is looking at me, or no, behind me. Goosebumps appear on my skin when I notice the expression on his face. I am frozen in place.  
"Minho get away-"  
Now I can feel it getting nearer, his foul breath in my neck. "I can _almost_ taste you..."  
Just as two rows of rotten teeth slam closed next to my ear I jump away, Thomas calls out for me to follow him, and I needn't be told twice. Running faster than I think I ever have, I follow him from the dining room through the kitchen to the back door. Claws are tearing at my shirt and I slam my elbow backwards. His skin is wet with blood and gore and when my elbow makes contact with him, he screeches loudly.  
"Come ON!" Thomas yells at me "HURRY!"  
"Just a bite- Haven't had a decent meal in weeks! ONE BITE!" Hysterical laughter getting closer and closer, his hands grabbing around wildly.  
I am almost at the door, the way out getting closer with each step. In front of me, Newt has reached the door too, and with a strength I didn't know he could muster he slams his shoulder against it. The door opens with a loud crash, hinges breaking. Newt then pushes Thomas outside and when I'm close enough, he grabs me by the arm and drags me out as well. I stumble, and with one more push he has me back on my feet, we sprint away faster than we have ever sprinted in our lives. The Crank is falling behind already, his body weak from starvation, loud crying and screeching slowly fades away in the distance, and after a few more minutes we slow down our pace. We take a minute to catch our breath.  
"Are you shanks okay?" Newt asks, frown on his face.  
"Yeah, fine." I reply. "That man was completely Jacked!"  
Thomas nods. Greenbean is okay. Now that I've calmed myself down a bit, and the adrenaline is out of my system, I realize how utterly exhausted I am. We need to find shelter soon, the air is getting colder and now that I've seen what creatures lurk in the shadows I sure as hell am not sleeping out in the open. I share a look with Newt, who appears to be thinking the same thing. He looks dead on his feet. So we keep going again, searching the abandoned houses until we find something relatively safe to sleep in.

Newt's POV.

Tommy and Min are finally sleeping. Both shanks had been wanting to keep watch, but when they started to argue about it I got irritated, so I pushed them upstairs and shoved them into a double bed in one of the rooms. Told them that I was keeping watch since they were too immature to do so. Bloody idiots, by the looks of it they were even more tired than I was myself. Being on my own right now is like a blessing, after leaving the Maze I haven't been alone once and it's been tiring me emotionally. Although I try my best to stay patient with everything going on around us, sometimes I feel like yelling at everyone to just bugger off. It's just too much to handle, being calm and optimistic gets more difficult with every step I take. There's no other way though, it's what I have to do to hold our little group together. I look at the clock in the hallway. It's stuck at midnight.  
The day before yesterday we lost Frypan and Teresa in bad weather. There had been deafening thunder in the sky and lightning slamming into the ground repeatedly. Fry and Teresa fled the place without looking back once, panic getting the best of them. We weren't able to follow them for we lost them in the dark. They should be somewhere in this ghost town still, which is why we're still wandering around the place. I pray for their safety, to gods I don't believe in. My eyes burn slightly as I stare into the dark. _Stay awake_ I tell myself, just stay awake. The last thing we need is another attack. What had happened earlier this night was an experience I hope to never relive. My shoulder kind of hurts, to be honest, but getting Tommy and Min out was all that mattered then. What's much worse is my leg. Up until now I have managed to walk around with merely a small limp, but after running as much as we have tonight it feels like it was broken once again. I shift my trouser leg upwards, and frown upon the sight. I'm not sure how it happened, but various bruises are standing out on my pale skin, a couple of veins running across in a greenish blue. Perhaps I have bumped against something without realizing. Surely it'll get better in a while, but that doesn't take away the fact that it bloody hurts.  
Either way, I'll have to just deal with it. Finding Fry and Teresa is what matters most. We'll check out that leg of mine later.  
I'll be fine.  
Just a couple of hours now. Stay awake, focus.

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

This is my second attempt on writing some Maze runner fiction, hopefully it'll be good!  
Updates might take some time, but I'll be trying to keep up the pace as much as I can.  
Constructive criticism, reviews and plot ideas are always welcome.

Have a lovely day,  
DustyBooks


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Thomas' POV.

Groaning, I wake up. Some light shines through the window on the other side of the bedroom. The newspapers in front of it aren't doing such a great job darkening the place. Next to me I find Minho sleeping tight, snoring a little. The small and rather dirty blanket that we were supposed to share overnight is wrapped around him like a cocoon. Not only did he steal the covers, he also moved his fat ass to the middle of the bed, almost pushing me off. Stupid shank. My still sleepy mind clears up a bit, and that's when I realize that neither Minho or myself switched with Newt to keep watch tonight. Swinging my tired legs over the edge of the bed I get up. The door to the hallway makes a screechy sound when I open it and against the wall across me I find Newt, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and a frown on his face. When I close the door behind me, he opens his eyes and looks up at me.  
"Morning Tommy." He says.  
"Hey, why didn't you go to bed? We were going to switch places after a few hours right?"  
"Yeah, sorry about that." He looks up at me tiredly "I couldn't get up to ask."  
I can't help but notice the shakiness in his voice. "Why not?"  
Newt shoots me a sad smile "My leg got busted again, I'm afraid."  
With that, I look down. His bad leg is outstretched in front of him, trouser leg lifted up somewhat to reveal dark bruises and reddish spots all over. My eyes grow wide and I kneel down in front of him.  
"Newt-"  
"I'll be fine, I just can't really lean on it anymore. But it's no big deal."  
I look him in the eyes, and I know that he's lying. "Let me look at that." I say.  
He nods. He looks somehow different than usual, a bit paler maybe. I push away this strange feeling of fear that has settled in my chest and take a better look. His skin seems to be see-through; all the small veins underneath are clearly visible. When I touch him I can feel that he's shivering.  
"How did this happen? Can you move at all?"  
"Yeah I can still move it around a bit, but I can't stand on it by myself. Yesterday I was fine, I'm not sure what happened."  
I look up at his face, his breathing is a bit off and his body is trembling as though he's freezing. I'm not sure what to do.  
"Let me go and get Minho, wait here."  
"I'm not going anywhere."

Newt's POV.

It takes Thomas a couple of minutes before he manages to kick Minho out of bed. My entire body is cold now, I'm not sure what's happening to me but I decide it's not a big deal. I'm probably just tired, fatigue can make you feel a bit shaky, that's nothing new. I raise my hands in front of my face, my vision has gotten somewhat unfocused overnight. But I don't have any time to worry about that, because Minho just came out of the bedroom and he's wide awake. He asks what happened and where it hurts, then he tries to move my leg around a little bit to see if it can still bend. He has some kind of weird expression on his face, and I can't figure out what he's thinking about. When he's done examining the damage, he gives me a stern look.  
"How are you feeling?" He asks  
"Like klunk. But if you can help me walk it's gonna be just fine." I say.  
"I don't mean the leg, Newt. Are you feeling well?" His voice sounds too serious, too dark.  
"Why do you ask?"

"This WAS an accident, right?"

There's a pause. I can't believe him. Right after the words leave his mouth his eyes fill with guilt.  
"I'm sorry, just making sure that you wouldn't- You know?"  
I have no words. None. He actually had the guts to ask me that, even though I promised him that I would never- and I'm not even mad, I'm too tired to be angry. There's just this empty feeling. Thomas looks at the both of us, confused.  
"What's going on?"  
I give Minho a look, and then look down again, creating a cold distance between us. He knows he's crossed a line and he keeps his mouth shut. For that I'm grateful, I don't want Tommy to know.  
"Nothin' Tommy. Let's just go, see how far we get. We need to find Fry and your girl, see what those shanks are up to."  
He doesn't look satisfied with my answer at all, but for once he doesn't ask any questions. So off we go then. I try to push myself up to a standing position, but I can't support myself and slide right back to the floor. It takes more effort than I thought it would, my leg is absolutely killing me. Minho extends his hand towards me to haul me up. He's trying to apologize. Reluctantly, I accept. There's no use in making a scene now, we need to find them other shanks before they get in trouble. We'll talk about it later. Leaning heavily on Minho, I get up, and within a split second an excruciating pain flares up through my entire body and a wave of nausea hits me unexpectedly. I inhale sharply and stumble. Two strong arms catch me around my chest and hold me upright.  
"Whoa, You okay there?"  
Now I'm getting worried. Minho holds on to me tightly and if he were to let go, I'm sure I'd fall back down again. Another pair of hands is on me now, one on my arm and another under my chin, pushing my head up to face Thomas. I can't focus on him, everything looks blurred and hazy. I close my eyes and open them again, it's only getting worse. Dark spots appear in my vision.  
"Newt? You n... okay?... help you- keep y... eyes open, you'll be..."  
I can hear them talking to me but I can't fully understand what they're saying. I feel hands shifting and then I feel myself going downwards, I hit the ground softly and I can see the ceiling above me. There's Tommy's blurry face, and Minho is shaking me roughly. It hurts, I'm scared. Minho slaps me in my face, _stay awake_ , they say. And I desperately want to, but I can't.  
Their voices become muffled and fade away slowly before I completely succumb to this cold darkness that awaits me, and when I'm almost completely gone I hear it. It's like a distant voice in a dream, but I know that it's very, very real.

 _WICKED is good._

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

That's it for chapter two, please feel free to send me a review if you want to.  
I hope you are enjoying it so far, if you have any ideas you can always PM me!  
Chapter 3 is on its way! So until then, be who you want to be and don't forget to smile.

Have a lovely day,  
DustyBooks


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Teresa's POV.  
\- Two Days Ago -

It had been right after the storm when we were picked up by Wicked. They brought us to safety in one of their buildings, and gave us time to clean ourselves and eat something. They told us that they could help us get our friends to safety, and that there was a way out of this mess. They just needed to run a few more tests an then they would be able to make a cure. Frypan was having none of it, but I can't help but see how these people are just like us, like me. At first, I was scared, but now I see how they are noble people, trying to find a cure to make this world good again. Right now I'm sitting in a very nice office, across of me there's a man in a neat suit. We've been talking for quite a long while, about the future, about how Wicked is actually doing what's good for everybody, and mainly about how I can help. The man smiles at me, his eyes are a bright color of blue, his hair almost as dark as my own.  
"You have heard that we have almost gathered enough information to fully understand the Flare, haven't you?"  
I nod. "Yes I have, but why can't we use somebody else?"  
Despite the fact that I wanted to help, I liked Newt a lot and didn't want to hurt him.  
"Teresa, I know this is hard on you, but it would be very... _helpful_ to see how he responds to some of our tests, in order to find a cure."  
His voice is calming in a way. Somehow everything he says makes perfect sense to me.  
"Don't forget, this is all for the greater good. All you need to do is bring him to the place where we'll be picking him up. When you to deliver him to us, you and your other friends are free to go wherever you want. We'll make sure you're all safe and sound. Believe me when I say that this would help us safe millions of others from the horrors that await them."  
He slowly pushes a bundle of papers towards me over the desk and hands me a pen. I take it hesitantly  
"Did you ask Frypan the same thing? What did he say?"  
"I'm sure he'll be okay with our decision, in time." He looks me deep in the eyes, and gently takes my hand in his. "You could safe all those helpless people, Teresa. You are the key to a better world. I _know_ you have got it in you. You are different than your friends, you understand what it means to compromise. And in the end, don't we all want a cure?"  
"I guess I do.." I mumble. "But Newt, what will happen to him?"  
"By the time you get back to your friends, he'll be out cold. We took care of that. He won't know what's happening, _and he won't know it was you_." He gives my hand a squeeze. "We won't hurt him at all. Now tell me, do you want to help?"  
I do want to help, desperately so. "So he's not getting hurt." I ask, once more.  
He smiles again. "He's not getting hurt."  
And that's all I needed to hear. Pushing this awful feeling of guilt away, I take the papers and sign my name.  
It's for the greater good.  
A better world.

Thomas' POV.  
\- Present Time -

The city is as empty as it was yesterday, and we still haven't found Teresa and Frypan. Minho is walking a little in front of me, an unconscious Newt slung over his shoulder. He's holding him in place with an arm around his legs. Newt hasn't moved at all since we begun our travels for today, his motionless body is dangling uselessly over Minho's shoulder.  
"Do you need me to carry him for a while?" I ask.  
Minho turns to me. "He's not heavy, let's just keep going. We can't stay here forever, we gotta find them shuck-faces around here and go somewhere to help him."  
"How is he?"  
"Shaking like a leaf, it gets worse every minute. He's radiating heat too, I can feel it through his shirt."  
Before I can respond there is a noise from a street ahead of us. Footsteps, running. I snap my head around and see a person coming closer.  
"THOMAS!" I squint my eyes and recognize her in the distance. Beautiful black hair dancing around her face as she runs towards us. "Come on! Fry, we found them!"  
Behind her Frypan appears, coming from the same street as her. He doesn't take a sprint though, doesn't seem to be as excited to see us as Teresa is.  
"We found you! I'm so glad we found you!" Teresa exclaims.  
"Are you two all-right? Where have you been?" I ask when they both have reached us.  
Teresa nods. "We're fine, a little scratch here and there, but furthermore we're good." She then looks at Minho, and Newt's limp form. Her eyes widen, almost theatrically so. "What happened to him?"  
"I'll tell you everything, but let's find some shelter first, I really need to take a break for a while."

I walk up to Minho and help him lay Newt down on the ground carefully. When I hold him I can feel how hot he is, a thin sheet of sweat is covering his entire body, his skin pale as moonlight. He's gotten worse than he was this morning, and I don't know what to do to help him. His chest is rising and falling at a fast pace, he's trembling. It's a sight I never expected to see, Newt was always the strong optimist that kept us all going, the kind of guy to take charge and help others out. Now he is laying there in pain, maybe even dying. He should be regaining consciousness by now... Why hasn't he woken up yet? I look around. Teresa has found this place for us. It might have once been a barbershop or something, a hairdresser. There's broken mirrors on the walls and various chairs lay around the place. We sit down in the middle of the place and I explain to Teresa and Frypan what we've been through since they were gone. I tell them about the Crank chasing us yesterday, and about how Newt had been feeling unwell and suddenly passed out. Frypan is kneeling next to Newt, hand running repeatedly through his messy golden hair in an useless attempt to bring some comfort.  
"But our story being told, I'd like to know where the shuck have you been. We've been looking for you shanks for two shucking days!" Minho asks.  
Frypan looks up. "We were-"  
Teresa interrupts him mid-sentence. "-Hiding. We were hiding in a house nearby, weren't we, Frypan?" Her voice has a dangerous edge to it.  
Frypan looks down at Newt again, unreadable expression on his face. "Yeah."  
Something's up, but I can't put my finger on it. There's a tension between those two that wasn't there before we split up. Other than that, they both look surprisingly _clean_. There's barely any dirt or mud on their skin anymore. Their clothes are still dusty and filthy, but their hands and faces are actually clean. Minho gets up and turns to me.  
"I suppose we should get out of here. Thomas, can you carry him for a while?"  
"Yeah, let's go."

As everyone gets up and starts walking, I make my way to Newt and grab him by his shoulders to lift him off the ground. Right when I have got a good grip on him Frypan hurries towards me and tells me to lay him back down again.  
"Don't go outside, Thomas. Listen to me, you can't." His words sound urgent "Don't take him outside."  
"What do you mean? Why not?"  
Then the familiar low roaring sound of what I know is a Berg fills the sky, coming closer fast. Frypan looks at me, desperation clear in his eyes.  
"They're here... I'm sorry."

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

Sure took me a bit to think of something good for this chapter!  
As always, feel free to message me or to leave me a review.  
I hope you have a wonderful day, and don't worry, be happy!

Love,  
DustyBooks


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Thomas's POV.

"They're here... I'm sorry."  
With that he gets up and runs outside, leaving me alone with Newt. The sound of the Berg is very close now, and when I move closer to the window I can see how it stops mid-air, hovering above the street where the barbershop is located. Frypan, Teresa and Minho are standing in front of the shop, and when several rope ladders are thrown out of the Berg, Minho turns on his heels and runs back to me. The other two remain where they are, paying no mind to Minho, who is practically screaming at them to come along with him.  
"Thomas! It's them, it's Wicked!" He yells at me when he slams the door open and hurries towards me.  
Anger roars through me as I realize the truth. "They knew!" I yell. "She knew!"  
Minho hurries to Newt, grabbing him under his arms. "The emergency exit! Let's GO!"  
Outside, there's several people in dark clothing climbing down the ladders at a fast pace. My heart is racing. I can see how Teresa is pointing in our direction. I'm dumbfounded. She was a traitor all along. I get to my feet and run after Minho, who is already making his way to the exit, dragging Newt with him. The exit leads us into an alley behind the shop, and as we hurry through I hear Wicked's men coming after us. They are too fast. The door busts open and we're just mere meters ahead.  
"We're not fast enough! We have to hide!"  
I look around but find nowhere to go. I pick up the pace, catching up with Minho. We're almost at the end of the alley when several men appear in front of us, blocking our way. I scream internally. We're surrounded.  
"Give up, Thomas! We don't mean any harm!" A voice shouts at us.  
They are armed with launchers and they are wearing combat gear. We don't stand a chance. My eyes are darting around frantically, we're stuck, we're done for.  
"What do you want?" Minho yells. He's still holding onto Newt tightly.  
"Listen, all you need to do is drop him. Just let us take him with us and no-one will be hurt." The voice speaks again.  
The voice belongs to a man who just now walks casually into the alleyway. He has dark hair, and is maybe a few inches taller than me. He has a smirk on his face.  
"No way!" Minho yells back. There's fire in his eyes, like I've never seen before. "Back off!"  
"There's no way out, gentlemen. Stand back." His men take a few steps closer, closing us in.  
My mind is racing, I need to do something! I look at Minho, to see what his game plan is, and am more than a little surprised to see him gently lowering Newt to the dirty ground. He has to be kidding, he isn't giving in now, he can't! I am just about to say something when he gets up. His face is pure rage. With a loud roar, he charges, runs straight into the crowd of enemies- and he fights. There's nothing else we can do, there's no way we're getting out of this. It's a dead end. And thus, without second thought, I follow and try to hold them back. Even if it's useless, and despite being overpowered. There's no way we're just going to give them what they want without a fight. I slam my fists into their faces, I kick and pull and wrestle like my life depends on it.  
And I fought until my body collided with the ground.  
And as everything went black, I promised myself that I would go after them.  
They wouldn't get away with this.

Newt's POV.

There's this weird sensation of being in motion. My body is still, but I feel like everything is moving around me. I'm laying on top of something uncomfortable and cold. I can hear the faint sound of voices, and some kind of beeping noise. My body hurts, like every inch of my body is on fire. And yet I am freezing. I try to open my eyes, but regret it immediately. The light is way too bright, and everything seems to be dancing and spinning around me. I blink, once. Twice. The room is white. There are people near me. Where I am, I do not know. The beeping noise is hurting my head, it's too loud.  
"He's waking up." A male voice. A bit high pitched.  
I want to see who's there but he's standing too far away. Something within me is screaming at me to get out. I'm not sure why, but I'm actually frightened. I feel a pair of soft hands om my upper arm. They're wrapping something around it. I can't see what's going on. I can't get up to see either. Something is holding me down. Now proper panic is settling in. Why the bloody hell can't I move? The thing around my arm is tightened, and something is poking at the inside of my elbow, followed by a sharp sting.  
"Good. By the time he's alert we'll have the tests ready." Another man.  
Something is injected in my arm, it's burning a little.  
"Oh and Mary, before you go, could you tighten those straps for me please? We can't have him moving around too much when we're working."  
"Yes sir. I'll make sure he's ready for you when you get back."  
"Thank you."  
Heavy footsteps exit the room. Followed by a set of lighter ones.  
"Just you and me now, sweetheart." The woman mumbles.  
The clicking of heels around me. I can feel her tugging at something around my ankles, and hear a click. Then the same thing at my thighs, wrists, upper arms and around my chest. _Straps... Tighten those straps for me._ I can hardly breathe, she's tying me up. The straps feel like leather, or some strong material of sorts.  
"W-what... are you doing?" My voice is so soft I doubt she can even hear me.  
Her hands hold still for a moment. "Try not to talk, darling. You're going to need your strength." She says. "But don't you worry, he won't be back for at least another hour."  
"Why are you... tying me down?" I have to take pauses in between words to breathe, it takes a lot of effort to speak.  
"It's just for safety. There will be some tests, experiments, if you will. And they are not always pleasant. But for the professor to do his work properly, you cant trash about too much. Don't be scared, I'll be there to look after you. It's all for a good cause."  
With one last click I'm tied up completely.  
"Very well. I'll be back to check on you this evening." There's a pause. "...And please, don't try to struggle when they are working. It'll only make things worse for you."  
Her clicking heels exit the room hastily, and I am all alone, with nothing but that annoying beeping noise to keep me company.  
I wished the beeping would stop soon.  
I hoped that my friends were safe. 

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

I am actually really enjoying myself writing this, and I'm excited to hear what you think.  
Let me know in a review, or if you're looking for a chat, feel free to PM me.  
I'll see you all in the next chapter, and until then, you do you!

Love,  
DustyBooks


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Newt's POV.

The footsteps are back, the heavy ones and the lighter ones. No heels. I'm feeling more alert than before, everything has gotten more clear. Colors are brighter and noises are louder. That probably has something to do with the stuff Mary injected into my arm a while ago. I'm nervous, scared. I have been trying to get loose from my restraints for at least half an hour, but so far it's just a waste of energy. The heavy footsteps come closer, and for the first time I can actually see him. His eyes are grey, his hair is blonde and his teeth are yellow.  
"Good evening, A5." He says. "I'm glad to announce that we are finally ready for our tests. My name is professor Bullock and that guy over there is my assistant, mister Chesswick." He gestures for his assistant to come closer.  
The assistant is a male in his thirties, late twenties, perhaps. He is tall and skinny. the metal of his braces shines bright as he shoots me a smile. It seems unnatural, a bit crazed. He lays a slender hand down on my shoulder, fingers digging down, his nails marking my skin.  
"It's an absolute pleasure to be working with you tonight, mister Newton." He says. I try to move away from his hands, making him smile even wider. "How exciting."  
He then lets go, turns his back to me and walks out of sight. I'm positively frightened. There's a slight itch in my head, I can't really think straight. All I know is that I need to get free- Now. Bullock merely smiles when he sees me pulling and tugging at the straps holding me down.

Bullock's POV.

I would be lying if I said I'm not enjoying my self at least a little bit. I have been looking forward to this very moment for a while now. Everything has gone according to plan. As soon as he first signs of the Flare appeared, we used the Swipe to control his bodily functions. First he would be unable to stand or move, and we would knock him out slowly. Our girl Teresa would take care of the rest.  
And thus, here we stand. We have some great plans in stock for our little Englishman here and I am looking forward to every single moment. His hands are moving around frantically in their cuffs, trying to get loose. I smile at the thought of the severe burn marks he's inflicting on both his wrists. Chesswick is preparing the needles for the first test round, and I decide it's time for this subject to learn how this game is played.  
"A5. There are just two simple rules here. First: Don't fight me or try to escape. Second: You only speak when spoken to. Is that clear?"  
The boy nods, but his hands don't stop fidgeting. That was to be expected. "Chesswick?" I say, holding my hand up.  
"I told you NOT to struggle." My assistant places the knife in my upturned palm, and I show it to our subject. "I want you to lay still when we're working, so let this be a warning and behave yourself from now on."  
I can't help but giggle happily when I cut through the fabric of his trousers, into the thigh of his already injured leg. He yelps in surprise, starts panting and struggling uselessly as the knife digs deeper. Warm and sticky is the blood which pours out in waves of red. I find it beautiful, magical even. Chesswick is looking at it over my shoulder. He is standing awkwardly close and I can feel his minty-fresh breath in my neck. If he wasn't such a good scientist I would've gotten rid of him a long time ago. I've never met a creep like him before in my life. Annoyed, I pull the knife from the gash I've created and turn around. "Too close." I say.  
Chesswick just smiles apologetically and moves back. I look at our subject, who is staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. With those drugs in his system, he felt the pain more strongly than without. His senses are on high alert, I want him to experience everything intensely. I know that Dr Paige never gave me permission to use our subjects for my own research, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I'm merely adding some extra fun to the situation. The human mind is interesting to me, especially when in distress. I simply have to seize this opportunity to study our subject's mental state throughout our research. It'll be interesting at least.  
Chesswick has moved closer to A5, and his spider-like fingers are feeling around his arm to find a vein.  
"This place here, mister Newton, this is the room where we'll be testing the cure that we are currently working on." He explains, excited as ever. "We'll be testing how the Flare responds to various kinds of substance, and then there's Professor Bullock's own research. But I won't tell you what that's all about yet. that's a surprise. I love surprises."  
A5 just glares at him "Bugger... off..." he pants.  
Chesswick laughs out loud at this. "No can't do." He then takes the syringe he's prepared a minute ago. "We've got to inject this first."  
Our work is pretty much done here, now we just need to wait what's going to happen to the Killzone and then we can continue. I take one last look at the blood that is dripping steadily to the floor from the wound I have made, and head out of the room contently. It's time for coffee, it's been a long day.

Thomas' POV.

"They'll be back soon and bring us to a safe haven. Really, Thomas. Just listen to me, don't be mad!" She grabs my arm tightly when I try to walk away. "I made them promise not to hurt him, don't you understand? Once they are done with the tests they will cure him and he can go back to us!"  
"They threatened to kill you all..." Frypan is sitting next to Teresa, eyes watering.  
She looks at him, confused. "Did they?"  
"Yeah, that's why I agreed."  
A hint of guilt flashes across Teresa's eyes, but then she gets herself back together. "Either way, it's for the greater good. Guys, you'll see that everything will get better from now on."  
About ten minutes ago, I woke up on the cobblestone in the, now dark, alley. Frypan was tending to a wound on my head, and I had pushed him away. That traitor shouldn't touch me. Not after what he's done. Minho is awake too, his face looks like klunk, all beat up. Teresa and Frypan, of course, are just fine.  
"Do you really believe that they're coming back? Do you actually believe that klunk? We've been here for shucking hours! Look what you've done! JUST LOOK!" Teresa just casts her gaze downwards. "They've got Newt, and we've got to get him back. NOW."  
"We do, Teresa, it's not too late." Frypan speaks up.  
I glare at him angrily. This was his fault too.  
"Give them some time. They will come." She sounds hurt. And I would feel bad for her if it hadn't been her own stupid fault. If it hadn't been my best friend that was taken from us.  
"Where did they take him, where is he now?" Minho asks.  
"I'll show you the way." Frypan says.  
"Fine, but if you dare to lie to us once more, you're dead." He replies. His expression says enough. He's not kidding around. "Go on then. We're right behind you."  
He starts walking and we follow. I look behind me and see how Teresa isn't moving. Stubborn piece of klunk. She can stay here and wait as long as she likes. I'm done. Nobody asks her to come along and the three of us walk away, not looking back again.  
We are going to get our Second in Command back. With or without her.

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

It took some time but here we are.  
Sometimes your brain doesn't produce any inspired stuff and everything you write down is stupid.  
But today I think I managed to fix it and I think it turned out all right.  
As always, feel free to review and PM.  
Don't be shy with your own ideas, if you got any, I'd love to hear 'em!

Love,

DustyBooks


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Newt's POV.

There are little black dots dancing in the corners of my eyes. It's annoying the living klunk out of me. And I am still stuck on this bloody table. That too, is annoying. Especially since I have no idea on how I got here in the first place. The itchy feeling in my head has become more and more distracting and if it weren't for the cuffs I would have scratched my own eyes out to reach it. The thought shakes me a little. Would I really do that? Probably not, but the fact that it crossed my mind is enough to scare me to bloody death. It's just a matter of time before I pass the Gone, and hopefully I won't be alive for long enough to experience that. Or maybe there will be a cure, maybe Tommy and Min will find me, maybe they can find a way to stop this. Hopefully they have found Teresa and Fry too, unharmed. The thought of my friends being alive is the only thing to keep my hopes up. As long as they are safe, it doesn't matter what will happen.  
"I told you that is wasn't wise to struggle, mister Newton." Mary mumbles, while stitching up my leg. "Just look what you've done to your wrists."  
I can't actually see how bad it is. Even if I could lift my heavy head to take a look, everything would be too hazy to recognize anything whatsoever.  
"Just- just Newt is fine." My voice is hoarse.  
I can hear in her voice that she is smiling "Sure, if that's how you prefer it... _Newt_ " The way my name sounds on her lips is pleasant.  
I can't believe how I still manage to be friendly to her at a time like this. These shuck-faces are keeping me captive and yet I have to go full gentleman on her. Though she hasn't hurt me yet. Despite the fact that I'm sad and angry with this entire organisation, she's been nothing but kind, and I'd like to befriend her. She is the only one I have in here, so for what it's worth, I might as well treat her like a lady. A sharp sting distracts me from my thoughts. The feeling of the needle going in and out of my sore skin is equally as awful as the headache I've had for the last two hours, I can hear my blood rushing through my veins and my heart pounding loudly. All my muscles ache and no matter how hard I try, I can't control the slight spasms my body is going through.  
"You are making it difficult for me to stitch this up neatly. Don't worry, I could get you something to relax your muscles a bit, if you'd like."  
In response, my leg shoots upward a bit, causing her to drop her needle to the floor for what is the second time. "No thank you." I say, when she's picked it back up again.  
"You don't think I intend to poison you, do you?"  
Before I can respond an unexpected flare of pain travels through my body and my back arches up from the table involuntarily, pulling the straps around my torso tight. Her hands are on my stomach immediately, pushing me back down. The pain doesn't stop, it's frightening how sudden it happened.  
"Breathe." I am trembling now. "Try to breathe through it."  
I inhale, but I can't seem to get enough air my lungs. The dots dance wildly in my vision, bigger than before. I feel heavy. If the stuff Chesswick injected a while ago was supposed to be a cure, I really don't believe it's doing any good. Her hands move to my face. She pulls my eyelid open, when did I close my eyes? A little light shines into my eyes before she lets go of me. There's no oxygen, I can't think straight. I struggle to stay awake, but I can't move anymore and my eyes won't open again. I feel how Mary lays a hand on mine.  
"It could be the cure, please stay with me. I'm right here."

Minho's POV.  
\- A few days later -

The building is very large, big beams of pale light illuminate its surroundings and guards are literally everywhere. After walking for a long time, we have arrived at what appears to be a inaccessible fort. Even if we were to get in there, it would be a shucking hell of a task to find Newt in there. It's too big, and there are too many obstacles. There are probably surveillance cameras inside and I doubt it is even possible to go in unseen. I look to my right, where Greenbean is laying on the sandy ground in between Frypan and myself. He gives me a gesture to follow him and starts moving towards the right side of the building in a low crouch. Despite my doubts on whether or not we'll succeed I follow him. Since the moment Newt shot me that look right before everything went wrong, I have been feeling awful about myself. I should've never asked him that question and now I might be too late to apologize too. I knew it was a sore spot and that he had promised me that he wouldn't ever do it again. But I had also seen that familiar sadness he carried with him ever since Alby got killed. It might have been rude of me to ask, but it hadn't been a strange thing for me to consider either. I stumble when I bump into Thomas, who has stopped moving forward suddenly.  
"Hello, earth to Minho." Thomas whispers to me harshly. "Pay attention, c'mon."  
"Yeah, sorry. What's the plan?" I ask, pulled out of my thoughts and back on track.  
Thomas looks at me and I know. He had no plan all along. Again. His face is a combination of 'Sorry not sorry' and pure determination. "Ready?" He asks.  
As soon as the guards seem to be looking into another direction we take a sprint and run all the way to the right wall of the building. For once I'm grateful for the sand beneath our shoes, our footsteps are almost muted completely. Looking straight ahead, not daring to see if anyone has noticed us I will my legs to go faster. Frypan is falling behind a little but he joins us shortly when we have made it across and press our backs against the wall, panting. All we need to do now is get inside. Frypan pulls at my sleeve, and points up above our heads. There is a window, big enough for us to get through.  
"How do we open it?"  
"Help me up just a bit, I can pull you in after me." I say.  
In a matter of seconds, Fry is standing against the wall, knees bent enough for me to stand on his upper legs. I climb on with Thomas to help me keep my balance and take a look through the dirty window. There's no time to waste, the guards might see us at any given moment. I take one last glance behind me and make my decision. There's no way we can pry this open before they notice our presence, but the distance between us is big enough. Without any hesitation, I slam my fist directly forward.  
"Holy- What are you DOING!" Thomas yells, not caring to be quiet anymore.  
The glass cracks at the first try, and it completely shatters to the ground after the third. My knuckles are bleeding. I hear shouting around me, the breaking of the window sure caught the attention of the guards. We need to move quickly. I push myself up, enter the building face forward through the window and land on the ground harshly. Frypan follows quickly, being pushed in by Thomas.  
"JUMP, THOMAS!" Fry yells. "GET IN HERE!"  
It takes him a few attempts before his hands grasp the window frame and he can push himself up. We grab his arms and pull him through until he stumbles inside. Panting, we get ourselves back on our feet and run. The shouting is loud behind us, the sound of an alarm is screeching through the air. The door of the room we entered is open, there's a hallway and some other doors as well. I have no time to take in my surroundings any further. I don't know where I'm headed, and as if on autopilot I just run. Through the hallway, right door, stairway, left, right- Dead end, turn, left. My heart is beating in my throat and my head is heating up. The sounds of yelling gets lower in volume steadily as we go forward- faster, faster, until they fade away in the distance. We lost them. We enter one last room and close the heavy door behind us. I press my back against it and listen to my own ragged breathing. My eyes dart around frantically. This room is dimly lit, in front of us there are several tables. White shapes are on top of them, I don't know what they are. Suddenly the sound of the alarm stops, and all is quiet. For a moment I think I have become deaf, and then it's Thomas who asks what we all were wondering.  
"Where the shuck are we, and what do we do now?"

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

First of all, I would like to thank you guys for reading and reviewing this story so far!  
You are so helpful and sweet, and I have been getting nothing but love from you.  
So thank you, also the guest reviews, it's very kind.  
I will be updating this story when I have the time, but you may have noticed I'm not very fast.  
I hope you don't mind, just know that is won't be discontinued and that I'm trying my best.  
If you'd like to send me a message or a review, you are welcome to do so!  
Feel free to leave me suggestions and tips if you want to!  
Have a beautiful day, I'll see you in the next chapter!

Love,

DustyBooks


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Thomas' POV

On the tables there are bodies. Dead bodies, covered with white sheets. Some of them are in one piece, others are missing a finger or two. Some are bruised, burnt and wounded. All of them have blue and green veins running across their bodies, some more than others. Then there's the ones you can't recognize anymore, these are the ones that worry me most. Minho told me that Newt isn't one of them, but I can't help but think it could be. I walk around the room at a fast pace, roughly pulling sheet after sheet off of the corpses, looking for him, hoping he's not here. My friends are staring at me but I don't care anymore.  
"Thomas, don't you think this is doing more harm than good?" Minho asks me, his voice is gentle as though he is speaking to a frightened child.  
I look up from what is almost the last table and shake my head. "I just have to make sure." I mumble, tugging at the corner of the white fabric in my hand. The face of a young girl greets me, dull, milky eyes still open. Her face has scratches on it, from the sockets of her dead eyes down to the greenish skin on her cheeks and neck.  
"We have to make sure to get to him as fast as we can, and this- This isn't helping, is it?"  
I glance around the room and slowly realize what I've been doing. All those people now lay bare and exposed on the tables, their empty eyes staring at the ceiling. Guilt, and sadness fills my heart as I let go of the sheet. The girl seems to stare at me with her accusing glare when I step away from the table and walk to Fry and Minho, who are waiting for me at the door.  
The color of her hair was almost the same as Newt's.

We search the building at a slow pace, avoiding the people who work here as we sneak around quietly. It feels like we've been looking for hours and I can't stop thinking about the corpses. I can't stop imagining Newt there. He could be dead, perhaps he was laying on top of one of those last few tables. It's late at night still, and luckily there aren't many employees on night shift. We did have to hide from a couple of guards before, they're still looking for us, it seems. The hallway we are walking through leads us to a different section of the building. The walls here are white instead of grey. This must be what Fry calls the research department.  
"This is where they took us, me and Teresa. She went up those stairs and had a talk with some sly dude and I had to go into one of those rooms." He whispers, pointing to a grey door in front of us. "I saw some guys in white coats then, they went that way."  
Walking on our tip toes, afraid to make any sound, we head into the direction Fry told us to go. There are several heavily locked doors with little name tags on it, just like in the hospital. It's still odd to me how I remember things like that, I must've visited a hospital once before the Maze Trials. Quickly I glance across the tags. -A. J. Smiles- -B. Murphy- -K. KarDashner- -S. Sanders- . Some rooms have only one name on it, others have more. And we shuffle across, reading each name until we round a corner to the left and stumble upon a dead end. The very last door in this last bit of the hall catches my attention.  
-I. Newton-  
I walk over and press my ear against his door, but I hear nothing. It is unsettling, I suppose I had hoped for a noise, a confirmation he is in there. We spend some moments studying the locks on the door, there is a little red light indicating we can't get in. You need some sort of card to open it, and since we don't have it we decide to wait for someone who has. On the opposite wall of the door is a closet, a fairly big one, containing cleaning supplies and brooms. We manage to fit in with the three of us, our bodies pressing against each other very close. I can feel my friends sticky skin against my own, sweaty and dirty. I keep the door open just a bit, so I can see Newt's door and whoever comes close to it.

The man has bright blue eyes and jet black hair. He's the one who spoke to us before they took Newt away. I feel angry and the urge to go over and punch that filthy smirk off of his face is overwhelming at least. Walking besides him are two other men, one bulky with thatch, blonde hair and the other tall and slender. The are hastily walking to our friends door and the Sly guy- as Frypan decided to call him - pulls out a plastic card to unlock the door. A loud beep is heard, and the light turns green.  
"Gentlemen, be careful. You will have your keys back once those kids are found and dealt with, but for now I will personally make sure this door is locked tight when you are done." Sly guy tells his employees. "It's just to be safe. I'll be back to escort you out in an hour or so."  
The lanky man nods furiously. "Safety first, sir." He says.  
His voice reminds me of somebody but I can't grasp who. He seems familiar at least, I might have seen him in one of those memory-filled dreams before. When the door opens Sly guy turns back around and leaves the two men alone. We wait until his footsteps are out of hearing distance and Bulky and Lanky enter Newt's room. Now we have to think of a plan.

Minho's POV.

With quiet steps we get out of the closet and make our way to the door. We are with three, and they are with two. It's simple math. Thomas may not agree with my plan, but Frypan seems more than ready for a little fistfight. I myself am tired of waiting, and beyond angry too. I need to see Newt. Now. I put my hand on the handle and without giving it a second thought I yank the door open and charge straight into the room. Greenie and Fry are besides me when I jump on top of the strong blonde man. Fry can deal with the skinny dude, because I'm going for the big prize.  
Whilst the man is off balance I tangle my hands in his collar and slam him against the nearest wall. His reaction is a bit delayed and before he can push me off of him I plant my fist into his jaw. His head snaps back in a millisecond and with a growl of yellow teeth he reaches out for my throat. I keep up the pace and strike again, hitting him in the same spot on his face harshly. His sweaty hands brush across my neck but he can't quite reach- he can't try again because I have him standing doubled over after my knee collides with his abdomen. Clawing fingers grab hold of my shirt, he doesn't let go as I clutch him around his head and slam him into the wall again and again. He punches me in the gut twice- and tries to drag me down to the floor. I stumble, but regain my balance just in time to stay upright. Curling my fingers I scratch across his face, I can feel his skin peeling and pieces of it get caught underneath my longish nails. He calls out, swearing at me furiously and spraying droplets of spit around as he does so. The loud clattering of breaking glass sounds on my left, followed by a loud thud. Before I can look back Thomas is at my side, helping me pin the bulky man down. It takes some time before we have him under control, but when we are on top, a few more punches into his face is enough to knock him out.  
I stay on top of the man for a couple of seconds, taking deep breaths to calm myself down a notch. I reach up to my brow, and it feels wet and sticky. I must have gotten a hit to the face without noticing. I wipe the blood off my hand on my pants and get up, look around. The lanky man is laying still on the ground, shattered glass all around him and on the table he apparently was thrown against. There's blood in his mouth where his braces tore through the skin in his mouth. Besides our heavy breathing a beeping noise fills the room. I turn around and see him there.  
He's tied down onto a silver table with strong leather straps. The clothes he's wearing are the same as when he was taken from us but they seem to be a bit more loose around his thin frame. He is moving around weakly, struggling to get away from something I can't see. Cautiously I make my way to him, the glass pieces scrape across the floor like nails on chalkboard when I step on them. It feels like it's a harbinger of something bad- it makes me uncomfortable.  
"Newt?" His eyes dart around the ceiling. "Newt, it's us."  
I reach out slowly and grab one of the straps around his torso. "We're gonna get you out of here, okay?"  
He turns his face to me a little and looks at me, glancing back to the ceiling every few seconds. There's a frightened look in his eyes and he sounds more desperate than I have ever heard him when he speaks.  
"There are things in my mind, Min- But they aren't real, right?" His breathing comes out in little gasps. "Please tell me they aren't real."  
I start tugging at the straps to loosen them up. "It's the Flare talking, Newt. They are just dreams. Fever dreams, nothing to be afraid of." I say. "You'll be okay."  
Newt's expression goes blank when he hears the lack of confidence in my voice.  
"I hate it when you lie to me."

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

To be honest with you I have to admit that I was having some trouble to figure out where I wanted this story to go.  
I have a couple of plot ideas but I need to tie some ends together first and I hope it all makes sense still.  
If you have any ideas of your own, or if you'd like to review or PM me, I'm excited to hear from you.  
Have a beautiful day and I will see you in the next chapter!

Love,

DustyBooks


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Unknown POV.

A young woman is sitting on a slab of rock just outside the city. Her hair is dark and her skin is pale. She looks like a goddess of heaven, sent to me as a gift. Her hands are rubbing together to provide some warmth and her face is looking up to the dark, dark sky. She's not paying me any attention. The dark circles underneath her eyes show how tired she must be. I have been looking at her for a while now, I'm a patient man- not at all as crazy as they say I am. She started biting her nails in the afternoon- She put them in between her pink lips and ripped at them with her beautiful teeth and only stopped when she went far enough to draw blood. That's when I realized. After all these years a sign from above. She can't do it herself. She needs my help to be free from her human form. And then she will make me better to thank me for my efforts. She will cure me. Before I caught the Flare, I prayed before every meal, I remember that much. So I look up like she does, smile and close my eyes.  
My mouth forms the words as I speak them in my mind. I say to him the prayer I would say to my sweet little daughter before dinner.  
' _God is great and God is good. We thank him for our food. By his hand we all are fed, give us, Lord, our daily bread.'_  
My smile grows wide and I feel my dry lips crack even more than they already were. She used to love how the words rhyme, it was a fun poem to her. I know I need to act quickly, so I drop down on all fours, like a predator on the hunt. I am faster than lightning and quiet as a breeze. She doesn't hear me approach in time and her screams are high pitched like the singing of angels. She squirms underneath me, she doesn't know yet, I'm here to save her. Her blood is almost black in the moonlight and it smells so good. I make sure to look her in the eyes as loving as I used to look at my little princess as I grab her ribs and curl my fingers around. It takes some strength to fully break her free, but soon the cage which contained her aching soul is open. I feel a tug at the corners of my lips when her human body finally stops moving. The screams are replaced with heavenly silence. I know she is released, and now she will cure me so I can go find my little princess.  
Once more I look up at the sky and then let my remaining teeth sink down deeply in her soft, delicate skin.  
All is good.  
 _Amen_

Newt's POV.

When they pull me up and make me stand on my legs for the first time in forever it is worse than expected. Not only the leg, no, that is the least of my problems. It's the headache, every move I make hurts like nothing I ever experienced before. Pressing my hands firmly against my eyes I groan in agony. As soon as my hands block my vision the images fill my mind- I stumble and of course, Minho is holding me upright. I quickly open my eyes again and check the ceiling. They are still there, creeping and waiting to strike. I feel a bit of hatred towards Minho for making me stand. I'd rather he just left me on the ground and turned off the beeping sound. I frown at the thought because it's not possible to hear that sound anymore. But it's there- despite that I'm no longer attached to the heart monitor, it's still there.  
Minho helps me back on my feet and looks at me in concern. Immediately the unfriendly feelings towards him are gone, the sane bit of my mind tells me it's unfair to be mad at him. I give him an apologetic smile and quickly look back at the monitor. The screen is pitch black, it's off. While I try to convince myself it's the Flare messing with my head, the figures on the ceiling move to the wall and head for the door we need to go through to get out. The beeping is louder than ever when I stare at the door. We can't possibly leave now. They are blocking the way.  
"You okay there?" Tommy asks.  
I look around for another exit. I see the bodies of Bullock and Chesswick on the floor, motionless. I'm not sure if that's just another fragment my imagination, though, which means the real them could be here any given moment. Minho lets go of me carefully so that I'm no longer leaning on him. I haven't found another exit yet and I dread leaving through the door. It's impossible.  
"Think you can walk? We've gotta go, Shank." He says, trying to snap me out of it.  
I nod, yes, I can walk. But as soon as he takes one step to the door I grab hold of his arm and pull him back. He is confused, doesn't see what I see.  
"Minho... They- they are in front of that door." I stammer. My voice is shaking.  
"Who are?"  
I need to take a breath before I can tell. He's going to leave me alone, he will think I've passed the Gone already. And Tommy won't understand, he wasn't there. But I have to tell them, because I can't pass through that door. Not now, not alone. So I look down to the floor and talk.  
"The Gladers." I say. "The dead ones. Different ones every time. They are all mad at me- Very mad." He just looks at me, doesn't know how to respond. I'm rambling now, every inch of my body feels unsteady and weak. "Second in command, and yet I couldn't- didn't save them. And they know- I never meant to, but Bullock- he said it too- Showed me their deaths over and over. They have footage of everything in the Maze, even when I... They showed me that too- Many times. Personal research, he said. They tested on me, different stuff each day. I don't think there was ever a cure- there won't be."  
Tears are rolling free now. I can't be strong when my dead friends are there- Yelling at me, the most horrible accusations, I can't focus. "Why did you come? I'm going to be Gone soon- a bloody Crank. Alby should've left me in the Maze. He really should have!"  
And before I can say more, before I lose that last string of sanity and before I break down completely- Minho pulls me against him and wraps his arms around me tight. And I tremble uncontrollably when he starts to walk to the door. He lets me hide my face in the fabric of his shirt when we get closer and closer and I feel my heart rate going up. I swear I can feel their dead hands claw at me as we pass them- and I tremble- but I walk on. Tommy right behind me.  
And after days of horror and fear I feel just a little bit safe again. 

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

I don't know if you are still enjoying this, so far I've had nothing but sweet comments so I guess it's okay.  
I know this was rather short, but I felt like uploading today so I put it up early.  
If you want to PM, review or share your own ideas, feel free to do so.  
Thank you for reading, I'll see you in the next chapter!

Love,

DustyBooks


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Thomas' POV.

Mary's POV.

We made a lot of progress with the last injection we gave him. There were not that many complications and his Killzone appeared to respond well. The hallucinations were still very persistent and he had been paranoid and wary, but he still hadn't passed the Gone yet, and perhaps he won't at all. His fever had been getting better and he was clearly feeling less sick than before. A breakthrough, if you ask me. We may not have cured the Flare but we did stop it from getting worse. The damage Professor Bullock inflicted on his mind is another story, of course, but what could I have done to stop him? It wouldn't be the first time he got angry at a co-worker and things didn't end well then. If I want to stay safe at work I need to stay out of his business, no matter how much I hate what he does.  
Newt has been the most unique patient I ever had to take care of. He was more kindhearted than the others, didn't fight as much and never tried to harm me in any way. I like spending time with him, at first he didn't trust me, but after a couple of visits he seemed to like spending time with me, too. Whether that is because he likes me as a person or because I am the only one around this place who won't hurt him, I don't know. But I think we did become friends in a way.  
I am at my locker at the exit. I have to catch the Berg to go home before it leaves without me. My heels are hurting my feet after a long day of work and I am looking forward to the comfort of my sofa. I do feel a bit guilty for having such a luxurious home, safe from the Cranks and the Flare. But of course, not everybody can be as lucky as I have been. With a content sigh I close the locker and head outside, putting on my long pastel blue coat whilst I'm walking. It has been a long day.

Minho's POV.

Thomas has grabbed hold on Newt's wrist, pulling him along back to where we came from. We are running again, Frypan in the front and I'm in the back. I can see that Newt is having trouble with the fast pace in which we are moving, but every time he stumbles Thomas is there to pull him up again. His limp is worse than ever, but that was to be expected after lying still for a couple of days. I can't imagine how much it must hurt. He once told me that the pain never really disappeared after our Med-Jacks tried to set the bones back in place. He always refused to have them check up on him again, though, said it was no big deal. But I could see that it was, and that it was bothering him.  
"Tommy- please just grab my hand instead!" Newt cries. Upon seeing Thomas' surprised expression he continues. "Your nails... They are tearing at them, It's bleeding."  
"Shit, I'm sorry!" Thomas pants, moving his hand to interlock with Newt's.  
We round a few corners, and I wonder how long we have before Sly Guy returns to Newt's room. Surely he'll set off the alarm again, send guards after us.  
"Faster!" I call to my friends in front of me.  
We run and run and the way back seems to be so much shorter than before. We run straight to the room with the broken window, having memorized every turn we need to take. Once we arrive there we get in quickly, and I press my back to the closed door. Now all we have to do is get out.  
"You two go first, then I can push Newt through and you can catch him. There's no way he'll be able to do this on his own." I say.  
Newt stares at the little window, a bit worried it seems. Then he frowns, and bites down on his lower lip. "How far do we have to run once we're out there?"  
"It won't be long. As soon as we're out of reach of the searchlights we can slow down a bit, I suppose. But we have to keep moving until we find shelter." Frypan says. "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on you."

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

Please allow me to vent my emotions here, because I completely fucked up the other day.  
I was like, completely bloody done with this chapter.  
I actually took some precious time to write it all down and got to a good word count, and then I went to save the thing.  
And I wanted to do that so I could update this story.  
AND THEN MY LAPTOP THREW ME OUT!  
It was all like- 'Sorry, you need to log in again. Your beautiful Oscar-worthy chapter has not been saved. Have a good day.'  
Well. I couldn't bring myself to do it all over again for a long while, but here we are again.  
I know it is not as good as the last time I wrote the damn thing, but I felt like I had to upload at least something.  
I would like to thank myself for not giving up and being strong at a time like this.  
Peace out.

Love,

DustyBooks


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Thomas' POV.

Panting, we stood in the shadow the bridge provided us. We had been running from the Wicked building for what felt like hours, and now we had finally stopped to catch our breath. There used to be a big river or something here, but it had dried up completely a long time ago. Unfortunately we couldn't walk the distance underneath the bridge, because an actual crack in the surface of the earth ran across the landscape- its end nowhere in sight. It was way too big to jump to the other side and the ground around it appeared to be unsteady, so we'd have to walk the bridge itself. This however, was a rather unpleasant thought for the structure was weathered and damaged beyond repair, making it dangerous to cross. Once we were back on our feet, which took a wile because Newt was having some trouble with his leg, we started our journey to the other side.  
The surface of the overpass was broad enough for traffic to move in two directions across and as though time itself had stopped, loads of cars stood scattered across, as though suddenly abandoned. It was frightening to walk in between them, unarmed, our eyes scanning our surroundings carefully. So far we had spotted no movement in the wrecked vehicles. No-one dared to say a word, scared that breaking this heavy silence would cause hell to break loose. What if there were dozens of them here, what if the drivers of these cars were Cranks now, waiting for their prey? And how many people have tried to cross this bridge before us?  
Thick ropes of ivy ran all the way over the concrete barriers on each side of the road, reminding me of the Maze. The problem here was that we had no specific goal in mind for if we managed to get to the other side safely. We didn't know what to expect, what we would find there and how we'd survive the barren landscape we found ourselves in. Maybe the Maze wasn't so bad after all, at least we had food and water, and a proper place to sleep. In front of me, Minho and Newt walked side by side. They hadn't spoken a lot of words ever since we were reunited, but they seemed to be closer than ever. It had been that way ever since Minho had held onto him when we made him go through that door, back at Wicked. I wasn't sure what it was all about, the words Newt had spoken were left unexplained. _'Alby should have left me in the Maze.'_ It was actually annoying not to know. I felt slightly left out and wanted to know what it was all about. I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me a little to know that Minho and Newt had been friends for so much longer than myself and Newt. It was a bit childish but I couldn't help but feel a slight pang of irritation whenever one of them brought something up from before I came up in the Box. I had to ask, I was curious like never before.  
I was pulled away from my train of thoughts when Minho suddenly stopped. "Shuck."  
"What is it?" I ask, walking towards them cautiously.  
He needn't explain though, because right in front of us is a huge gap in the road. We can't go forward anymore.

"So what now?"  
We all stand there for a few seconds, not knowing what to do, when Newt turns to the right and starts walking. When he reaches the barrier he jumps up to grab the top.  
"What are you doing?" Fry yells in a harsh whisper.  
Newt doesn't respond at all, instead, he pulls himself up and climbs on. I can see that it takes a lot of effort to do so. We all stare in horror as he shakily gets to his feet and moves forward over the narrow top of the concrete wall. He uses his outstretched arms for balance and with his eyes focused on the horizon he simply walks forward, foot after foot. He sways a little, due to his bad leg, but not once does he look down to the gap in the road now next to him which leaves him nothing but a free fall to the unforgiving ground if he loses his footing. Somehow he seems to know exactly what he's doing, not even stumbling when the wind picks up. How he does it, I don't know, but he seems to be nothing but focused despite his injuries and fatigue.  
Obviously not wanting to do something as dangerous and stupid as walking a ledge of death, Fry, Minho and I head for the barrier as well. My friends look like they might be sick at any given moment when they jump up to the top like Newt did. I myself feel a bit queasy too, but there is no other way to do this.  
"You have got to be kidding me." Minho mumbles quietly.  
He looks unnaturally pale, staring at the depths below. In the meantime, Newt has almost reached the end of the gap.  
"Come on, we gotta keep up." I say, trying to stand up.  
The wind is throwing me off balance, so I sit down again, heart rate picking up. In front of me, Minho proceeds to swing one of his legs to the other side. Sitting as though he is riding a horse, he shuffles forward on his butt. It's going a whole lot slower than the way Newt did it, but at least it's secure, so I too swing a leg to the other side and follow his lead. In front of us, Newt has jumped down the ledge onto the road again.

Newt's POV.

The world is spinning, perhaps it was a little too much to cross the ledge. It felt familiar though, maybe I've done it before some time when I still had my memories. There are some vague images filling my mind, where Minho, Alby and I sneak around some building. Exploring and such. But maybe that's just the Flare making me fantasize. I do remember one time in the Glade, when we were building Homestead, I had to do all the climbing and stuff. Even now that I have a bit of a limp, I have always been very quick and supple. I suppose it comes in handy.  
The crazies aren't as bad as before right now. And while I wait for my friends to catch up with me, I am glad to merely hear some vague voices and whispers in my mind. If only the beeping would stop, though. Now that I'm finally out of the hands of Wicked, I had hoped for the sound to disappear, but I guess I got shucked up bad enough to still hear the noise. At least I don't feel so alone and afraid right now.  
"There ya are!" I force myself to be as optimistic as possible, because as long as I'm like this, I will manage just fine. "Took you long enough."  
Minho grins at me and we continue our walk. Tommy catches up and presses me to the side a little, so he's walking in between the two of us. Fry is still a little behind. There's something odd about Tommy's demeanor, I can see that he's searching for words. It makes me uncomfortable.  
"Spill it." I say.  
He looks at me, and then at Minho. "Well, er... I just wanted to ask you something." He says.  
"Go ahead, then."  
He fidgets with his hands, plucking at his shirt here and there when he speaks up again. "I'm sorry but I had to ask. Back at Wicked, you said that Alby should've left you in the Maze. What was all that about? And that one time when you and Minho got all pissed at each other when your bad leg started to act up. Are you keeping secrets from me? Does Frypan know?" He blurts his words out quickly, like he knows he's on dangerous terrain.  
Of course, it's Minho who reacts first. "That is really none of your business, Shank."  
Tommy looks a bit hurt, so I decide to keep peace and safe us all from trouble. "I'll tell you, okay? If that makes you feel better."  
He nods, and Minho glares at me somewhat angrily. "You can't make him force you to talk about it. Look at you, look what you've been through just now! You are clearly not in the mood for something like this!"  
His voice is raised, it's too loud for my liking but I feel too tired to stop his one-minute rant. Nervously I glance around, in case any Cranks heard him yelling.  
"Min, I want to tell him and I feel all right for now. Good that?"  
We share a long look and eventually he retreats, slowing his pace until he's walking next to Fry.  
I take a slow breath to get some thoughts straight, and look ahead. Avoiding any eye contact, I start talking.  
He deserves to know.

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

Updates take longer and longer as we go, but I hope you are still enjoying the story.  
If you have any plot ideas of your own, I'd love to hear them.  
As always, I'm so very grateful for your reviews and I'm excited to hear your opinion on this chapter, too.  
Have a wonderful day and don't forget to live your dreams.

Love,

DustyBooks


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer:

I don't own the Maze Runner Series

Thomas' POV.

The sun is already coming up in the far distance, the sky changing color as he speaks. He chooses his words carefully, a frown on his face, not daring to look at me with his tired eyes.  
"You shouldn't think I'm keeping secrets from you, first of all. I wouldn't, you are my friend and I trust you." He says. "But some things did happen, a few months before you were sent up. I mean, we were there for so much longer than you, a lot happened and a lot has changed since then."  
I nod. "So would you tell me about it?"  
"When I came up in the box, I was one of the first boys to enter the Glade. There was no order, nothing to hold on to. It was difficult to feel so insecure, no answers and no freedom at all. We did start exploring the Maze very quickly, though. Trying to get out. That was the only thing on my mind, anyways. I just needed to get out of there, it was too much and I felt so restricted- So alone, too. Bloody grievers killing off those who I built friendships with didn't help either. And everyone always came to me with their heart ace and their problems. I mean, I was glad they felt like talking to me but I had nowhere to go. I couldn't help and still I tried to be kind and gentle with them, even with Gally. He wasn't so bad at the time. I guess he lost all hope to escape even sooner than I did, he wanted to be the leader and he didn't like how I still wanted to leave the damned place." Newt sighs, shakes his head just slightly. "You know how he has his ways with words. He knows how to talk to people, gain support. I think I started to slowly lose my mind when Tim got killed and I- I just couldn't get to him in time."  
I sense how much of a hard time he is having talking about this, so before he gives up on me, I urge him to continue. "It's okay, take a breath. Who's Tim?"  
"He was a friend of Gally. Entered the Maze way too late, the Doors were about to close. I went after him but when I got there he was already getting sliced to shreds by a Griever. I tried to get to him, but he was too far gone. Nothing I could do and blood was everywhere- and his screams, horrible. So I had to make a run for it. When I came back without him, right when the Doors slammed shut, Gally was furious and devastated about losing his best friend, and blamed it on me. He was fast to speak to the other Gladers, and called a Gathering. I guess I stood no chance, and I was just too traumatized to protest when they dragged me into the Slammer. They didn't come back for me anymore, it was Minho who got me out after two weeks, I was barely hanging on- Had been starving to death and I was really starting to think Tim's death was actually my fault. Still do sometimes. I was told that there had been quite a bit of a fight between Gally and most of the others about me. They wanted to get me out of the Slammer, and Gally was trying to get me Banished. Luckily, aside from a little group of boys, everybody else wanted me back with them. I do think being stuck for two weeks messed with my mind a bit. I was more obsessed with escaping than ever before, got a bunch of guys together and we ran the Maze every day. I exhausted myself with my continuous thoughts of despair, I was so alone and stuck. I carried on like that until I thought we had tried everything. I genuinely believed there was no way out."  
Newt bites his lip. The sunrise is red like blood, and I suddenly feel very uncomfortable.  
"You can stop if you want. Minho is probably right, I mean, if you don't want to tell me that's okay."  
"I was depressed. I think nobody noticed, smiling my troubles away as one does. And then, one day, I went into the Maze-"  
"Newt?"  
"Climbing that wall- I'm sure that was the most difficult thing I ever decided to do, Tommy. But jumping down... I didn't hesitate for even one second."

Alby's POV.  
Flashback.

Pacing in front of the Doors nervously, I waited for our last runner to exit the Maze. Newt should've been back by now, he usually was the first to return. All the other runners were busy mapping their findings as usual, probably thinking Newt was already done, maybe that he was already getting himself something to drink in the kitchen. The Doors are going to close in a bit, there's only half an hour left. I look up to see Minho is walking towards me, coming from the mapping room.  
"Hey Alby, have you seen Newt?" He asks me. "Just came across Frypan, he says that he hasn't been in the kitchen yet."  
I shake my head.  
"Weird. He always goes to the kitchen to get water when he's done. Well, if you see the Shank, tell him he's running with me tomorrow. Maybe I found something, it's probably nothing new, but I want him to see."  
Then he turns on his heels and starts walking back towards Homestead.  
"Minho." I say.  
He stops, and turns. I take a moment to look him in the eye before pointing to the Maze.  
"He's not back yet, he's still in there."

A/N:

Hello me hearties,

I'd like to take a little moment to appreciate you guys for reading this story.  
You have been so kind and sweet, and you are the reason why I get so excited to write more.  
So thank you all for reviewing so far:  
Sharon Kennedy  
Pg250KilledMe  
MazeRunnerJunkie (You always make me smile)  
Sad Gleek  
Neko-fire demon tempest  
Rainfall 04  
It makes my day a bit brighter when I read them reviews, and I know I haven't always responded in time, so take this A/N as a little thank you.  
I hope you will stick around for the following chapters, because there is much more to come!

Love,

DustyBooks


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